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His name means Warrior of Battle, and it is so fitting, according to his mom. Caeden, who is almost 2 years old, came to the Allison family at just 11 weeks old through the foster care system. Although the doctors said it was unlikely that he would ever walk, talk or eat orally, Caeden has proven them wrong at each turn with his determined spirit.

He was adopted by the Allisons after a "non-accidental trauma" occurred while living with his biological family. The Allisons are extraordinary foster parents who were willing to accept the challenge that the doctors and foster care system presented to them. June is a high school Special Education Teacher and her husband Scott is a Greensboro police officer. They have five daughters in addition to Caeden, two of whom are also adopted. Sounds impossible? Not for this amazing family. They have built-in supports and cheerleaders to keep Caeden moving toward his goal of doing everything his sisters do.

Once they got all of his necessary therapies in place (OT, PT, feeding, vision, developmental), Caeden quickly surpassed all milestones. He began eating after just five days off of the feeding tube. He eventually learned to crawl and now walks with a walker. Their 1890's house was in need of some modifications for this growing boy. They had steps everywhere, out the front door and back which caused this "100% boy" to crawl through gravel to exert his independence. While June and Scott were happy with this progress, they didn't like the bloody knees this was causing. They investigated a ramp in lieu of their back steps so that Caeden could get to the yard and play with his sisters. Their PT helped them find First in Families of the Sandhills and they applied for financial help with the concrete at the base of the ramp. This new ramp allows Caeden to get from the house to the car or yard independently. (see video footage of this feat below!)

The COVID quarantine has been on his side as all of his sisters are home with him and assisting the therapists who come for home visits. "He is determined and strong-willed," says mom. "He zooms everywhere now and we see something amazing for his future. We expect him to grow up, get a job, be happy and fall in love... what we want for his sisters, too." His oldest sister, now a college freshman, wants to become an occupational therapist because of Caeden and her experiences with him. First in Families is proud to be part of this family's life and happy to have assisted with this worthy project.